novelraw Chapter 137: A Slap On The Wrist
Chapter 137: A Slap On The Wrist
Chapter 137: A Slap On The Wrist
Chris arrived at Levi’s house, the oppressive, dark space reflecting the turmoil within him. The butler quietly led him to Levi’s bedroom where he found him pacing restlessly, his energy a whirlwind of anxiety and barely suppressed rage. The tension in the air was palpable.
"I have to get her away from them," Levi muttered when he noticed Chris’s presence. He stopped pacing and turned to him, his eyes filled with a desperate intensity. "I have to get Lyse away from Lottie, from Brooke... and from Brandon."
Chris sighed, running a hand through his hair. He knew that Levi was deeply worried about Lyse, but he also knew that the current situation was far more complex than Levi realized, there was a lot more at stake than losing a woman’s love.
"Levi, I understand what you are going through but there are more pressing matters," Chris began, his voice laced with frustration. "Brandon is about to be appointed CEO. Your mother is pushing it through, and there is nothing I can do to stop it."
Levi waved his hand dismissively. "That does not matter right now," he said, his voice dismissive. "Lyse is in danger. I have to get her out of that house. The only way I can do that is by helping Lottie. I have to get Jeff out of jail."
Chris’s frustration reached its peak. He could not believe Levi was prioritizing Lottie’s demands over the impending corporate disaster. It felt like he was seeing a different person, Levi had always but the affairs of the company first and foremost.
"Levi, are you even listening to me?" he exclaimed. "Brandon, a man with absolutely no experience, is about to take control of Van Doren Enterprises! This is a catastrophe that you can’t allow happen!"
Levi stopped pacing again, his gaze fixed on Chris. "I know what is at stake, Chris," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "But Lyse is my priority. I have to protect her. And if helping Lottie is the only way to do that, then so be it, Van Doren will survive somehow."
Chris stared at Levi, his mind reeling. He couldn’t believe Levi was willing to sacrifice the company for Lottie’s manipulative scheme. He had hoped that he would be able to convince him to return and stop Brandon from becoming CEO.
In the light of his failure to do that, he knew that he had no other choice than to tell him everything, to reveal the secret he had kept hidden in his for so long which had now been revealed to him as a truth.
"Levi," he began, his voice trembling slightly, "there is something you need to know. Something I should have told you a very long time ago."
Levi looked at him, his brow furrowed. "What is it, Chris?"
Chris took a deep breath, steeling himself for the confession. "You know that you are more than a friend to me, you are like the only brother I have. And I would cut myself first before I betrayed you... but I have betrayed you and I deserve no forgiveness."
Levi stopped his pacing and stared at Chris, his eyes narrowed at the tension emanating from his oldest and dearest friend. "What did you do?" He asked, his voice deadly and silent.
"It’s about Brandon," Chris said, his voice barely a whisper. "It’s about his parentage."
Levi remained silent, his gaze fixed on Chris, waiting for him to continue.
"All those years ago," Chris continued, his voice laced with guilt and regret, "when Sutton... when she told you she was pregnant... it wasn’t... it wasn’t you."
He paused, his heart pounding in his chest. "It was me, Levi," he finally confessed. "I am Brandon’s father. Brett is using that over me, I think he wants more shares in the company."
The silence that followed was deafening. Levi stared at Chris, his expression unreadable. Chris braced himself for the explosion, for the anger, the betrayal, the years of friendship shattering before his eyes.
But instead, Levi simply nodded slowly, his gaze distant.
"I know," he said quietly.
Chris’s jaw dropped. "You... you know?" he stammered, his voice laced with disbelief. "What do you mean?"
Levi nodded again, his eyes meeting Chris’s. "I have known for a long time, that Brandon was yours." he said.
Chris stared at him, his mind reeling. He couldn’t understand it. How could Levi have known all these years and never said anything about it?
"How?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "How did you find out?"
Levi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I got a DNA test done on Brandon," he said. "I could never trust what Sutton said, I have always known that she was a scheming manipulator. So I needed to make sure."
Chris remained silent, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and shock. He had carried this secret for so long, the weight of it pressing down on him, and now Levi was telling him that he already knew.
"Why didn’t you say anything?" Chris asked finally, his voice laced with disbelief. "Why didn’t you tell me you knew? And how did you even know?"
Levi shrugged, his expression a mixture of sadness and resignation. "I saw you coming out of her room early one morning all those years ago" he said. "I knew that you were in love with her, even when I was sleeping with her but I did not realize that she slept with you too."
The truth was that Levi felt more than a little guilty. Chris had been a few months younger than Levi and he hero worshipped him like a big brother. So that summer when they met Sutton who was a few years older than them and more worldly, he should have protected Chris who was more naive and gullible.
If he had, then Sutton would have not ensnared Chris. When Levi discovered that Brandon was not his, there was no way he could have exposed Chris. The Van Doren scholarship would have been withdrawn and his future wrecked. The only thing Levi had gotten had been a slap on the wrist.
Chris stared at Levi, his heart aching for his friend. He had carried this burden for so long, and Levi had known all along, carrying his own burden in silence. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him, a deep sense of regret for the years of deception.
"I am so sorry, Levi," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "I should have told you the truth."
Levi nodded slowly, his eyes meeting Chris’s. "I know," he said. "But it’s okay, Chris. It’s in the past. We have more important things to worry about now. Like getting Lyse away from Lottie and Brandon. And stopping Brett from taking control of the company."
Chris looked at Levi, his heart filled with a mixture of relief and renewed determination. The secret was finally out in the open, and their friendship, surprisingly, seemed to have survived. Now, they had a common goal, a shared purpose: to protect Lyse and to prevent Brett from seizing power. The stakes were higher than ever, but they would face them together, as friends, as allies, united against a common enemy.